[WSIS CS-Plenary] More poor suckered into Microsoft bondage

[Rui Correia]

"The computer network does not allow any of the users of the donated
computers to install any software not owned by Microsoft, even any open
source software" - read below. 

Rui

 
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gkd at milhouse.edc.org [mailto:owner-gkd at milhouse.edc.org] On
Behalf Of Augusta Molnar
Sent: 08 December 2005 02:56
To: gkd at milhouse.edc.org
Subject: [GKD] Microsoft Donations: Roses with Thorns?

Dear GKD Members,

I am writing from Oaxaca, Mexico where I am visiting communities in the
highlands. They have been beneficiaries of a very cool project financed
in part by the Gates foundation to install a wireless connection and a
set of computers for the schools. We are working on a network in the
Latin America region for communities for which we use by preference
FireFox as our browser. We suggested they try this browser as Explorer
was causing problems, and discovered to our surprise that the Gates
foundation "gift" comes with tags.

The computer network does not allow any of the users of the donated
computers to install any software not owned by Microsoft, even any open
source software. The network within which the computers reside will not
allow any individual computers to download software to install,
ostensibly to prevent viruses and incompatible software from
jeopardizing the Microsoft system.

These are computers installed for educational purposes in a number of
telecenters in the public libraries in Mexico for all the young students
preparing for a global world. These computers are therefore their only
affordable access to the Internet and to learning about computers and
programs. A significant number of them will leave this town to work at
least part of their life elsewhere in Mexico or in the U.S. Their work
and career opportunities will depend upon their skills and preparedness.

I am reminded of my youth, working in the vicinity of USAID programs
which only purchased American-made cars shipped to remote corners of
Asia for irrigation projects, etc., because the tied money only allowed
US bids. (Ever try to blow up a pneumatic truck tire with a bicycle pump
in a small town in Asia? )

Is this standard Gates foundation policies?????? Is this type of tag
allowed??

Interested to hear from those of you who are more knowledgeable on this
point.


Augusta Molnar
Director, Community and Markets Program
Forest Trends
1050 Potomac Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20007
Phone: 202 298-3006
Fax: 202 298-3014
www.forest-trends.org




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